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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · fork · saw · pitcher · rash · pound · cell · board

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. board — a committee
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. shower — to wash
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pound — a weight
  16. cell — in biology
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cell — a phone
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. board — to get on
  22. rash — hasty
  23. shower — rain
  24. pound — to hit hard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com